Building small field tools

I like tools that disappear into a decision.

A lot of the things I build start the same way: I am trying to do something in the physical world, and the planning layer is messier than it should be.

That is what I mean by a field tool: a small system that makes the planning layer easier to use. It can be an app, a checklist, a map, or a set of notes, as long as it helps answer the question in front of me.

The best field tools have a few traits:

• They start with a concrete question.
• They work well where the decision happens, often on a phone.
• They are honest about uncertainty.
• They hide complexity until it helps.
• They make the next step easier to choose.

I want smarar.com to be a home for those small systems and the notes behind them: build the thing, use it in the field, notice what could be better, and keep sharpening the next decision.